Competitive swimming has been an extremely popular sport for some time now. Many different levels of competition exist for children and adults of all ages. As with most other sports, an individual is typically able to improve his or her performance by developing proper technique through coaching and practice. Proper technique not only involves the mechanics associated with a particular swimming stroke, but also how to effectively incorporate the other aspects of a competitive race.
For example, coaches must be able to teach swimmers how far to dive into the water off a starting block. Entering the water too close to the starting block likely indicates a poor starting technique and typically results in less forward momentum. Coaches must also be able to teach swimmers when to surface above the water after the starting dive. For example, after a successful starting dive, a swimmer typically remains submerged for a brief period of time while performing a flutter kick or butterfly kick and traveling forward. Eventually the swimmer loses some of the forward momentum from the dive such that it becomes more effective for him or her to begin the particular swimming stroke. Knowing when to surface and begin the stroke can lead to a faster lap time. The same can be said with respect to flip-turns or any other maneuver that requires a swimmer to remain submerged for a particular distance.
While a variety of training equipment for swimmers exists in the marketplace, most of the devices are directed solely towards improving stroke technique. For example, pull-buoys, hand paddles, and kickboards are all common pieces of training equipment that do not effectively address the aspects of competitive swimming discussed above. Coaches have also used visualization equipment such as videotape to review starting dives, flip-turns, and the like. Although visualization equipment may help swimmers develop proper starting and turning techniques, many coaches find that such equipment is expensive and prone to yielding marginal improvement. Moreover, many competitive swimming clubs or organizations practice in a pool that is also used for recreational or other purposes. Any visualization equipment used by the clubs must typically be set-up before practice and taken down afterwards, a burden that many coaches prefer not to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Therefore, there is a need for a training device for swimmers that is easy to use, inexpensive, and most importantly, effective.